Disclaimer: I don't own anything at all in the Harry Potter universe.
Courage to Find the Strength
Chapter 9
Draco was too busy thinking about Hermione Granger's sudden strange influence over him to notice that the usually heavily occupied Slytherin common room was remarkably vacant. Normally, at least a few hangers-on would be chatting idly about or plotting someone's rise to power or discussing the best ways to achieve a dramatic vengeance. But because of his current preoccupation and the cold treatment he'd been receiving the last few days, he didn't particularly notice the absence of Crabbe and Goyle's pestering presence or the lack of Pansy Parkinson's seductive annoyance. His thoughts were solely centered on the Gryffindor and the way her lips curved when she was angry or the soft pools her eyes became when she was concerned about someone's welfare. He wasn't sure if he liked these thoughts or not, but he was damn certain he could no longer stop them.
Draco opened the door to his room and having nothing better to do, set about calling it a night. He was just about to change out of his robes when something in the vicinity of his bed caught his eye. He stopped what he was doing and upon closer inspection he was aware that something was definitely alive under his covers, and it wasn't human shaped. Throwing his blankets aside, he almost gagged at the sight. Millions of insects were swarming the sheets and pillow. Their black hard bodies glittered in the moonlight as they formed a giant roiling mass covering his sleeping surface. They were at least three or four inches thick in depth. Clutching his mouth and stomach in horror, he slowly backed away as the insects spilled onto the floor and scurried along the floorboards, disappearing into the cracks and crevices in the room. His skin crawling with disgust and cold chills, he turned around and fled from the infestation. Only then did the rest of Slytherin House make their presence known, magically appearing all around him laughing and pointing. Malfoy's eyes darkened maliciously, and he reached for his wand.
When he was through, no one was laughing. In fact, the lucky ones were unconscious, and those in the unfortunate remainder were writhing in pain on the floor among the now scant remains of the swarm. With great satisfaction, Draco taught many of them their first lesson in what happens when you dare to cross a Malfoy. First, he magically sealed their mouths shut so they wouldn't be able to cry out for Professor Snape or anyone else to save them. Then, he'd frozen them in place. Finally, he took his time to personally repay them for every nasty little word or deed they'd either said or done at his expense over the last few days. As a precaution and to ensure the continuance of his education at Hogwarts without fear of reprisal, he'd coldly and calmly explained to each survivor what would happen to him or her should they dare open their mouths and reveal what he'd done to them. Ironically, he used the very same words his father had threatened him with for many years now. The effect was no different. Without any further parting words and his eyes burning with undisguised hate, Draco left the dungeons in search of peace and tranquility.
Hermione was herself searching for those very same things. Not wanting to put up with Myrtle's whining, she tried out the spell Malfoy used to disguise himself. It'd taken a few attempts to figure it out, and she hoped she'd gotten it right. She had a lot to consider and needed some time and distance from the other Gryffindors to sort things out. There was only one place she thought to go, and she prayed it wasn't presently occupied. She desperately needed to talk to Harry, but because of the terms of her punishment, she understood that to be impossible. The Forbidden Forest loomed ahead of her, and she hesitated a moment, but the desperation to bring order to the chaos in her heart and mind drove her onward deep into the darkness.
Malfoy stumbled from the forest into the clearing, muttering to himself. He froze in his tracks when he saw the Gryffindor standing in the moonlight, arms wrapped around her waist, gazing up at the stars. A breeze gently swirled her hair, and her eyes were large and wistful. Draco sucked in a breath at the beautiful sight she made. He'd long known other guys found her attractive, and objectively he'd always known why, but it wasn't until this moment that he felt it strike him like lightning. She was something beyond beautiful, something surreal. Almost in slow motion, she turned to stare at him in return. He watched mesmerized as she opened her mouth to speak.
"Malfoy! You look like hell! What on earth happened to you?!"
Blinking in confusion, Draco looked himself up and down. Some of the previous unpleasantness had apparently gotten on him.
"Oh this? It's nothing," he replied dismissively. "I just had some business to take care of, and apparently I wasn't too careful."
He tried to wipe some of it off, but ended up giving up. "What are you doing, Granger? Following me again? I warned you about that."
Since he hadn't said it in an angry tone, Hermione didn't become alarmed. "I needed somewhere to think. And to just be, hey, what is that stuff? Bug guts?"
Draco shrugged. At her repulsed look, he rolled his eyes and with a wave of his wand, spelled himself all neat and tidy. He smirked when she relaxed. "What were you thinking about?"
The change that came over her happened so fast, Draco was momentarily taken aback. "What's it to you, Malfoy?" she snapped.
"Take it easy, Gryffindor. I was only asking about what was so heavy on your mind you had to come to MY personal place to think about it." He took a couple of steps closer to her.
Hermione looked away uneasily. His near proximity was making her strangely nervous. "Sorry, I'm just a little confused."
"About what?"
"You actually care to know?"
He shrugged nonchalantly, but then nodded in reply.
"See, it's like this, Malfoy. I don't like being unsure of where I stand. I mean it's my nature to know everything about, well, just about everything, and I don't like feeling this way. I don't even know WHY I'm feeling this way." Malfoy listened with barely hidden mirth to her nervous rambling and observed with wry amusement the way she tensely wrung her hands. He wanted to ask her what she was talking about, but it was more fun to watch her get all worked up.
"I'm not even sure I SHOULD be feeling this way. It's just so unnatural for me, and probably this has never happened before to anyone at Hogwarts." Hermione looked up at him like she expected him to have an answer, but in truth, he had no idea what in the world she was babbling about.
"Okay, what's never happened before?" he asked in confusion.
"Well, you know, a Gryffindor and a Slytherin.," she trailed off embarrassed.
Sudden comprehension dawned on him. He desperately tried to hide the smirk creeping onto his face. "What a Gryffindor and a Slytherin kissing?" Sensing her further discomfort, he purposely took a step closer, enjoying the effect his presence had on her. Surprisingly, she didn't take a step back.
"Yes, well, what exactly was that all about?"
He cocked his head to the side and considered the question. "I don't honestly know."
"One day you're holding a knife to my heart, the next you're embracing me here in the forest. I don't quite know what to make of it."
It was Draco's turn to look away and swallow tightly. His mind flashed back to his attempt at killing her in the Malfoy Manor dungeons and his hand backslapping her. "Hermione, about that night."
At the sound of her name, her heart started to beat wildly. "Yes, go on."
"I couldn't, I mean, I wouldn't," but he couldn't finish. He really didn't know what to say. For the first time in a long time, someone other than his father made him feel ashamed. Hermione saw the change in his eyes, and understanding came to her. This was probably as close to an apology as she was ever going to receive, and she wouldn't make this harder on him that it was. It was enough for her to know he meant it. She reached out and took his hand.
"I know," she whispered.
Draco pulled her closer, very much wanting her to forget what happened. Again, the magnetism between them took over, and he felt his head being pulled to hers. In another moment, they were kissing with hungry passion. Both of their hearts were pounding, as they couldn't get enough of each other. Eventually, Draco's hands wandered from her hair and worked their way to the front of her robe. He heard her gasp as one hand slipped inside and gently fondled her breast. Shortly thereafter, his other hand wandered inside, and began to unbutton her blouse. Still, she made no protest. It wasn't until he was inside her blouse and unhooking her bra that she stopped him.
"Draco, we can't." The mere mention of his name on her lips caused him to groan and claim her mouth again. It wasn't long before his hands resumed their task.
"Draco! I mean it! Stop!" This time Hermione pushed away from him.
Malfoy stopped to catch his breath. "Why?" he asked, his voice husky.
Hermione was finding it hard to answer him, but then her wits returned. "Because, we barely even know each other."
"I disagree. I think you know more about me than I do."
She bit her lip. He had a point there.
"Yeah, but you don't know a lot about me."
He leaned over and nibbled on her earlobe, then whispered in her ear. "I know you're bright." He nibbled on her neck. "I know you're brave." He nibbled on her throat. "I know you're kind." He nibbled on her collarbone. "I know in this moonlight you're beautiful."
Hermione closed her eyes and felt dizzy because of what he was doing to her. Her knees were weak, and her skin felt like it was on fire. She wanted him to continue with all of her heart and body, but her mind barely won the struggle. Again, she stopped him.
"I'm serious, Malfoy, we need to stop right now."
He frowned. "Why, damn it?"
"Because, I'm not ready. There's so much more I need to know about you."
Draco scowled. "You mean there's so much more you need to know about the Death Eaters."
"I'm not going to lie to you, but yes. But more importantly, I need to know I can trust you."
He angrily took a step back and stared hard at her for a moment. She almost reeled at the loss of contact. "Trust me? Have you any idea of what I could do to you right now?"
Hermione paled. "Yes," she whispered, thinking of the dagger and the chains.
Following her train of thought, he leaned in and hissed, "Maybe you don't know me after all."
She tried to blink back the sudden tears. For an instant, his intense look wavered, but the next moment she was running towards the forest. He shook his head in disgust, but he wondered who it was really aimed at.
Courage to Find the Strength
Chapter 9
Draco was too busy thinking about Hermione Granger's sudden strange influence over him to notice that the usually heavily occupied Slytherin common room was remarkably vacant. Normally, at least a few hangers-on would be chatting idly about or plotting someone's rise to power or discussing the best ways to achieve a dramatic vengeance. But because of his current preoccupation and the cold treatment he'd been receiving the last few days, he didn't particularly notice the absence of Crabbe and Goyle's pestering presence or the lack of Pansy Parkinson's seductive annoyance. His thoughts were solely centered on the Gryffindor and the way her lips curved when she was angry or the soft pools her eyes became when she was concerned about someone's welfare. He wasn't sure if he liked these thoughts or not, but he was damn certain he could no longer stop them.
Draco opened the door to his room and having nothing better to do, set about calling it a night. He was just about to change out of his robes when something in the vicinity of his bed caught his eye. He stopped what he was doing and upon closer inspection he was aware that something was definitely alive under his covers, and it wasn't human shaped. Throwing his blankets aside, he almost gagged at the sight. Millions of insects were swarming the sheets and pillow. Their black hard bodies glittered in the moonlight as they formed a giant roiling mass covering his sleeping surface. They were at least three or four inches thick in depth. Clutching his mouth and stomach in horror, he slowly backed away as the insects spilled onto the floor and scurried along the floorboards, disappearing into the cracks and crevices in the room. His skin crawling with disgust and cold chills, he turned around and fled from the infestation. Only then did the rest of Slytherin House make their presence known, magically appearing all around him laughing and pointing. Malfoy's eyes darkened maliciously, and he reached for his wand.
When he was through, no one was laughing. In fact, the lucky ones were unconscious, and those in the unfortunate remainder were writhing in pain on the floor among the now scant remains of the swarm. With great satisfaction, Draco taught many of them their first lesson in what happens when you dare to cross a Malfoy. First, he magically sealed their mouths shut so they wouldn't be able to cry out for Professor Snape or anyone else to save them. Then, he'd frozen them in place. Finally, he took his time to personally repay them for every nasty little word or deed they'd either said or done at his expense over the last few days. As a precaution and to ensure the continuance of his education at Hogwarts without fear of reprisal, he'd coldly and calmly explained to each survivor what would happen to him or her should they dare open their mouths and reveal what he'd done to them. Ironically, he used the very same words his father had threatened him with for many years now. The effect was no different. Without any further parting words and his eyes burning with undisguised hate, Draco left the dungeons in search of peace and tranquility.
Hermione was herself searching for those very same things. Not wanting to put up with Myrtle's whining, she tried out the spell Malfoy used to disguise himself. It'd taken a few attempts to figure it out, and she hoped she'd gotten it right. She had a lot to consider and needed some time and distance from the other Gryffindors to sort things out. There was only one place she thought to go, and she prayed it wasn't presently occupied. She desperately needed to talk to Harry, but because of the terms of her punishment, she understood that to be impossible. The Forbidden Forest loomed ahead of her, and she hesitated a moment, but the desperation to bring order to the chaos in her heart and mind drove her onward deep into the darkness.
Malfoy stumbled from the forest into the clearing, muttering to himself. He froze in his tracks when he saw the Gryffindor standing in the moonlight, arms wrapped around her waist, gazing up at the stars. A breeze gently swirled her hair, and her eyes were large and wistful. Draco sucked in a breath at the beautiful sight she made. He'd long known other guys found her attractive, and objectively he'd always known why, but it wasn't until this moment that he felt it strike him like lightning. She was something beyond beautiful, something surreal. Almost in slow motion, she turned to stare at him in return. He watched mesmerized as she opened her mouth to speak.
"Malfoy! You look like hell! What on earth happened to you?!"
Blinking in confusion, Draco looked himself up and down. Some of the previous unpleasantness had apparently gotten on him.
"Oh this? It's nothing," he replied dismissively. "I just had some business to take care of, and apparently I wasn't too careful."
He tried to wipe some of it off, but ended up giving up. "What are you doing, Granger? Following me again? I warned you about that."
Since he hadn't said it in an angry tone, Hermione didn't become alarmed. "I needed somewhere to think. And to just be, hey, what is that stuff? Bug guts?"
Draco shrugged. At her repulsed look, he rolled his eyes and with a wave of his wand, spelled himself all neat and tidy. He smirked when she relaxed. "What were you thinking about?"
The change that came over her happened so fast, Draco was momentarily taken aback. "What's it to you, Malfoy?" she snapped.
"Take it easy, Gryffindor. I was only asking about what was so heavy on your mind you had to come to MY personal place to think about it." He took a couple of steps closer to her.
Hermione looked away uneasily. His near proximity was making her strangely nervous. "Sorry, I'm just a little confused."
"About what?"
"You actually care to know?"
He shrugged nonchalantly, but then nodded in reply.
"See, it's like this, Malfoy. I don't like being unsure of where I stand. I mean it's my nature to know everything about, well, just about everything, and I don't like feeling this way. I don't even know WHY I'm feeling this way." Malfoy listened with barely hidden mirth to her nervous rambling and observed with wry amusement the way she tensely wrung her hands. He wanted to ask her what she was talking about, but it was more fun to watch her get all worked up.
"I'm not even sure I SHOULD be feeling this way. It's just so unnatural for me, and probably this has never happened before to anyone at Hogwarts." Hermione looked up at him like she expected him to have an answer, but in truth, he had no idea what in the world she was babbling about.
"Okay, what's never happened before?" he asked in confusion.
"Well, you know, a Gryffindor and a Slytherin.," she trailed off embarrassed.
Sudden comprehension dawned on him. He desperately tried to hide the smirk creeping onto his face. "What a Gryffindor and a Slytherin kissing?" Sensing her further discomfort, he purposely took a step closer, enjoying the effect his presence had on her. Surprisingly, she didn't take a step back.
"Yes, well, what exactly was that all about?"
He cocked his head to the side and considered the question. "I don't honestly know."
"One day you're holding a knife to my heart, the next you're embracing me here in the forest. I don't quite know what to make of it."
It was Draco's turn to look away and swallow tightly. His mind flashed back to his attempt at killing her in the Malfoy Manor dungeons and his hand backslapping her. "Hermione, about that night."
At the sound of her name, her heart started to beat wildly. "Yes, go on."
"I couldn't, I mean, I wouldn't," but he couldn't finish. He really didn't know what to say. For the first time in a long time, someone other than his father made him feel ashamed. Hermione saw the change in his eyes, and understanding came to her. This was probably as close to an apology as she was ever going to receive, and she wouldn't make this harder on him that it was. It was enough for her to know he meant it. She reached out and took his hand.
"I know," she whispered.
Draco pulled her closer, very much wanting her to forget what happened. Again, the magnetism between them took over, and he felt his head being pulled to hers. In another moment, they were kissing with hungry passion. Both of their hearts were pounding, as they couldn't get enough of each other. Eventually, Draco's hands wandered from her hair and worked their way to the front of her robe. He heard her gasp as one hand slipped inside and gently fondled her breast. Shortly thereafter, his other hand wandered inside, and began to unbutton her blouse. Still, she made no protest. It wasn't until he was inside her blouse and unhooking her bra that she stopped him.
"Draco, we can't." The mere mention of his name on her lips caused him to groan and claim her mouth again. It wasn't long before his hands resumed their task.
"Draco! I mean it! Stop!" This time Hermione pushed away from him.
Malfoy stopped to catch his breath. "Why?" he asked, his voice husky.
Hermione was finding it hard to answer him, but then her wits returned. "Because, we barely even know each other."
"I disagree. I think you know more about me than I do."
She bit her lip. He had a point there.
"Yeah, but you don't know a lot about me."
He leaned over and nibbled on her earlobe, then whispered in her ear. "I know you're bright." He nibbled on her neck. "I know you're brave." He nibbled on her throat. "I know you're kind." He nibbled on her collarbone. "I know in this moonlight you're beautiful."
Hermione closed her eyes and felt dizzy because of what he was doing to her. Her knees were weak, and her skin felt like it was on fire. She wanted him to continue with all of her heart and body, but her mind barely won the struggle. Again, she stopped him.
"I'm serious, Malfoy, we need to stop right now."
He frowned. "Why, damn it?"
"Because, I'm not ready. There's so much more I need to know about you."
Draco scowled. "You mean there's so much more you need to know about the Death Eaters."
"I'm not going to lie to you, but yes. But more importantly, I need to know I can trust you."
He angrily took a step back and stared hard at her for a moment. She almost reeled at the loss of contact. "Trust me? Have you any idea of what I could do to you right now?"
Hermione paled. "Yes," she whispered, thinking of the dagger and the chains.
Following her train of thought, he leaned in and hissed, "Maybe you don't know me after all."
She tried to blink back the sudden tears. For an instant, his intense look wavered, but the next moment she was running towards the forest. He shook his head in disgust, but he wondered who it was really aimed at.
